# Fishbowl: "Only orders with entered or issued status may be imported"

> Import operation failed because orders aren't in the required early-stage status.

## What it means

The import operation requires orders to be in a specific early stage—either newly entered or formally issued. Orders that have moved past these statuses (received, shipped, completed, etc.) cannot be re-imported. This protects data integrity by preventing duplicate processing of orders already in motion.

## What to check

- Verify the status of the orders you're trying to import; Fishbowl usually shows this in the order list view or detail screen.
- Check whether these orders have already been processed beyond the early stages. If so, they likely need a different import approach.
- Filter or sort your order list by status to isolate only those in 'entered' or 'issued' state before attempting the import again.

---

*From Israel Lopez Consulting (ILC). Custom Fishbowl Inventory integrations and software, and Fishbowl experts since 2015. Written by Israel Lopez. Questions about this topic, or want to reach the people who wrote it? Visit https://israellopezconsulting.com/contact*